The company encouraged advertisers to switch their rich
media ads over to HTML5 instead, saying this format provides
better performance in terms of the impact on browser speed and
battery life. Vulnerabilities in Flash software have also seen
Flash ads being compromised by hackers,
putting consumers at risk.

But despite the warnings, and the tools to help brands and their
marketing and ad tech partners automatically convert their Flash
ads to HTML5, some advertisers have still been caught out by the
update. In the brief time I've been using Chrome since September
1, I've noticed brands including Amex, PayPal, and Pepsi all
still continuing to run Flash ads.

I updated my Chrome browser to the latest update today. I was
surprised to see that Chrome wasn't blocking Flash ads by default
straight away, as all the correspondence had suggested it would
happen from September 1.

I had to manually go into my Chrome preferences, then hit
"Content Settings," then under "Plugins" I had to make sure I had
selected "Detect and run important plugin content." After I had
restarted Chrome, the Flash ad blocking began.

Screenshot

(A Google spokeswoman confirmed Flash blocking on Chrome will be
a gradual rollout, and the shift to default blocking should
happen automatically at some point soon, so I won't need to
manually update again.)

I then began browsing some of the world's biggest online news
websites, according to
Alexa's global traffic rankings. This isn't a comprehensive
study, but here are some of my findings in the short time I've
been using the setting since September 1.

You notice a Flash ad straight away that has been blocked by
Chrome because it'll appear gray and have a big "play" button
over the top of it. So few people actually click on ads anyway,
and they'll be even less likely to click play to watch the ad
move briefly. But advertisers are still delivering those ads.

Here's what should have been an eBay ad on
HuffingtonPost.co.uk

Screenshot

When I clicked this ad on ABC News, it was actually a
video for Pepsi Max.

Screenshot

An Amex ad on NBC News.

Screenshot

This ad for UK mobile carrier EE was served on the Fox
News website.

Screenshot

I was served an ad for P&G's Fixodent (and was a little
dismayed at why I was being targeted by a dentures adhesive
brand) on CNN.

Screenshot

This Transferwise ad was on Mirror.co.uk.

Screenshot

Business Insider contacted all of the above advertisers for
comment. We'll update if we hear back.

Of course, it's not necessarily the brands themselves at fault
here. The finger of blame could also be pointed towards the
creative agency partners they work with for not moving ads over
to HTML5, and their ad tech providers who are still serving their
ads in Flash, despite the Chrome update.

More than one in two (51.74%) internet users run Chrome on their
desktop computers, according to StatCounter. And more than 90% of
rich media ads on desktop use Flash, according
to Sizmek.

While the rollout of Flash ad blocking on Chrome is a slower
process than some people might have expected, it seems many
brands and their marketing partners haven't been quick enough to
take notice. If they don't take action soon, they might see a
proportion of their digital ad budgets needlessly going to waste.